Poultry-feeder.



M. H. HINKLE.

POULTRY FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED T11R28, 1912.

1,078,094, Patented N0v.11,1913.

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lUNlD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAX H. HINKLE, OF BLACKHAWK, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE E. FRITZ, OF BLACKHAWK, COLORADO.

POULTRY-FEEDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1 1, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MAX H. HINKLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Blackhawk, in the county of Gilpin and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Poultry- Feeders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in automatic-feeders, and more particularly to an apparatus for feeding and exercising poultry, one of the objects of the invention being to provide a device of this character by which the fowl being fed actuates the'feeding mechanism by its own weight.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which will possess advantages in points of efficiency and durability, is inexpensive of manufacture and at the same time is simple in construction and operation.

lVith the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a feeder constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation; and Fig. 3 is a sectional View on the line 83 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the draw ings, 1 indicates the base, which may be of any suitable size and shape, on which is mounted, as by means of standards 2, a suitable hopper 3. The hopper 3 as shown in the drawings is of rectangular shape, but is to be made cylindrical in form if so desired. The bottom of said hopper is formed as an inverted cone 4, which is provided with an opening through which the feed passes onto the distributer 5. This distributer 5 comprises a body portion 6 having a plurality of radially projecting trough shaped arms 7.

An angular bracket 8 is secured to one side of the hopper and having its horizontal portion extending beneath the hopper and supporting the distributer 5. A second angular bracket 9 is provided, having the outer end of its horizontal portion secured to one of the supporting standards 2 by means of the bolt 10. The outer end of the upright portion of the bracket 9 is secured to the outerend of the horizontal portion of the bracket 8. A gear wheel 11 is rotatably mounted on the upright portion of the bracket 9 and adapted to mesh with the pinion 12 on the vertical shaft 13, said shaft having its ends rotatably mounted in the horizontal portions of the brackets 8 and 9. The distributor 5 is keyed to the upper end of the shaft 13 and adapted to rotate therewith.

A lug 14 is formed on the outer periphery of the wheel 11, to which is secured the upper end of the rod 15, the lower end of said rod being connected to the operating lever 16, said lever being pivotally mounted between the spaced ears 17 secured to the base. Thus it will be seen that the weight of the fowl on the free end of the lever 16 will rotate the distributer 5 and scatter the grain in all directions. A coil spring 18 is provided having its upper end secured to the bottom of the hopper, the lower end of said spring is secured to the lever 16 to return the lever to its normal position as soon as the fowl steps ofi the outer end thereof.

The shaft 13 is to be made long enough so that its upper end extends up into the cone 14 and is provided with a pin or projection 19 to agitate the grain within the hopper when the shaft is rotated, and thereby prevent its clogging.

From practical experience with a feeder as above described, I have found that the chicken or fowl will soon learn that by stepping upon the lever 16, the food will be thrown off the distributer into a position where they can get it, but at the same time, the food will be thrown to such a distance that in gathering it up they must necessarily take the desired exercise to keep them in the best conditions for laying eggs. As there is always more or less food upon the top of the distributer, it will attract the attention of the fowl, and in their efforts to get at it, they will naturally step upon the lever, and thereby throw ofi the food, and soon learn how to feed themselves without care or further attention from their owners.

As soon as the fowl steps off the lever, the tension of the spring 18 returns the lever to its normal position, ready to be actuated by another fowl, the distributer being simply rotated in the reverse direction.

While I have shown and described the I be resorted to for successfully carrying my preferred form of'my invention it will be obvious that various changes in the details of construction and in the proportions may invention into practice without sacrificing any'of the novel features or departing 'from the scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A poultry feeder comprising a "base, standards secured thereto, a hopper mounted on said standards, said hopper having an opening in the lower end thereof, a distributer rotatably mounted beneath the opening in saidIhopper, a vertical shaft havingits upper end keyed to the "distributor, a pinionicarried by said shaft, a gear wheel adapted to mesh with said pinion, a lug fo rmed on the outer :periphery of said gearvwhe'el, a rod having one end connected to said lug, a lever pivotally mounted on'ithe base-t0 which the other end'of said'rod is connected, whereby the weight of a fowl 'on theouterend of the lever will rotate the distributor in one direction, a coil spring having one end secured to the hopper and the other end secured to said lever to'rotate the distributer in the opposite direction, and means arranged in the path of said lug to limit the movement of the gear wheel in either direction, as and for the purpose described.

2. A poultry feeder comprising a base, standards secured to the base, a hopper mounted upon the standards having an bracket, a second angular bracket having one end of 1ts horizontal portion secured to one of said standards and having the upper end I of the upright :portion thereof secured to the free end of the horizontal portion of the first bracket, a gear wheel mounted on the upright portion of the second bracket, a vertical shaft having its lower end mounted in theihorizontal portion of the second bracket and having its upper end disposed through the first bracket and into said hopper, a pinion on said shaft and meshing with the gear wheel, said shaft being keyed to the dist-ributer to rotate the same, a lug formed on the periphery of the gear'wheel, a rod having one end connected to said lug, a lever pivotally mounted on the base to which the other end of said rod is connected, and means for normally maintaining said lever in raised position, the upright portion of said second bracket being disposed in the path of said lug whereby rotation of said gear wheel is limited in either direction.

' In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signaturein the presenceof two Witnesses.

' MAX H. HINKLE.

Witnesses E. M. GREENE, J OI-IN' STROEHLE.

Copies of this patent maybe ob'tained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

, Washington, I). C. 

